One popular mechanism for recording television programs is via a VCR Plus+™ system developed by the Gemstar Development Corporation. In order to record a television program using a VCR Plus+™ equipped system, a user accesses television program listings from a newspaper, magazine, or web site. If a desired program listing is associated with a VCR Plus+™ PLUSCODE™ number, and the viewer has a video recorder equipped with a VCR Plus+™ system, the viewer may enter the PLUSCODE™ into the video recorder and the video recorder will be programmed to record the selected program when it airs. In this system, a PLUSCODE™ number has encoded in it the channel, time, date and length for the program associated with the PLUSCODE™ number. A VCR Plus+™ equipped VCR decodes the PLUSCODE™ number into the encoded channel, date, time and length and then uses the channel, date, time and length to record the program. The VCR Plus+™ system and related technology is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,173, which is incorporated by reference as if set forth herein in full. Although PLUSCODE™ numbers greatly facilitate the recording of individual television programs, when a viewer wants to record multiple television programs, he or she must generally individually enter the PLUSCODE™ numbers for each desired television program, one at a time. There could be, however, a common characteristic identifying the programs desired to be recorded by the viewer. For example, the programs could all have a particular actor, share a particular theme, or the like. Accordingly, there is a need for selecting television programs for recording based on codes that identify particular characteristics of the television programs.